Associations of muscle-strengthening and aerobic exercise with self-reported components of sleep health among a nationally representative sample of 47,564 US adults.

Abstract Objectives Evidence demonstrates that physical activity is favorably associated with indicators of sleep health. However, population-based studies rarely examine the relationship between different physical activity modalities (ie, aerobic exercise vs muscle‐strengthening exercise) with components of sleep health. Methods Cross‐sectional analyses were conducted on the US 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Validated items assessed self-reported moderate‐to‐vigorous‐intensity aerobic physical activity (MVPA), muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE), sleep duration, difficulties and disorders. Poisson regression assessed prevalence ratios (PR) of 5 components of detrimental sleep health (short sleep; long sleep; poor quality sleep; observed snoring; and observed breathing stoppage) separately for adults 18-64 years and ≥65 years, across 4 categories of physical activity guideline adherence (met neither [reference]; MSE only; MVPA only; met both). Results The sample comprised 47,564 adults (mean age: 48.4 years; ±1.4; 51.6% female). Among those 18-64 years, with the exception of short sleep (4-6 hours), for all other detrimental sleep health components, the lowest PRs were observed among those meeting both MVPA-MSE guidelines. Among those aged ≥65 years, for all 5 detrimental sleep health components, compared to the other physical activity categories, the lowest PRs were observed among those meeting both MVPA-MSE guidelines. All associations remained after adjusting for potential confounders (sex, education, income, smoking, alcohol, depression, hypertension, diabetes). Conclusion A physical activity routine that includes both MVPA and MSE is likely to be beneficial for better sleep health. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish the temporal relationships between MVPA/MSE guideline adherence and sleep health.